For the purposes of this chapter, the following
words and phrases shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to
them by this section:
OWNER
Any person who owns and hires out any taxicab within the
Town of Bel Air.
TAXICAB
Any motor vehicle for hire designated to carry seven persons
or fewer, including the driver, operated upon any public street or
highway in the Town of Bel Air, provided that nothing in this definition
shall be construed so as to include as a taxicab a motor vehicle operated
under a licensed firm of the Public Service Commission of Maryland,
over fixed routes and on regular schedules.
The owner of a taxicab shall attach to the vehicle
proper identification that the vehicle is a taxicab. Such identification
shall include the name of the owner, the company telephone number
and the vehicle number. The identification shall be displayed on the
side of both front doors of the vehicle.
Every taxicab owner shall post in each of his
or her vehicles designated as a taxicab a schedule of fares in a manner
that passengers may readily determine the exact fare payable by them.
The owner of every vehicle that has been designated
as a taxicab shall have the vehicle inspected every six months with
such inspections conducted by an inspection station licensed by the
Automotive Safety Enforcement Division of the Maryland State Police.
The owner shall pay the prescribed fee for said inspections. No vehicle
may be operated within the Town of Bel Air without a certification
that it is safe to operate.
No person shall operate a taxicab within the
Town of Bel Air without first obtaining a taxicab operator's permit
issued from the Harford County Department of Inspections, Licenses
and Permits.
Every taxicab owner and operator shall comply
with the provisions of this chapter and all laws and regulations applicable
to the operation of a taxicab business in Harford County.
Any violation of any provision of this chapter shall be a municipal infraction and a violator shall be fined as provided in Chapter
1, Article
II of this Code.